


You Wish You Knew

by FlightOfTheStars96



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Complicated Relationships, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-10 11:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19904836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightOfTheStars96/pseuds/FlightOfTheStars96
Summary: Barry and Iris have a complicated relationship. After an encounter they both wish not to address, They have convinced themselves they don't like each other, but who knows?Barry and Iris didn't grow up together in this





	1. Not you again

**Author's Note:**

> ( This is my first time sharing my work outside my circle of friends. I'm not American so expect inconsistent spellings and slangs that may or may not make sense. There is some Nicki Minaj in this because why not?. 
> 
> Title inspired by a ZAYN song of the same name. you all should stan him )

Coincidences, is there even such a thing? Iris wondered to herself as she stood at the entry way of the club.

  
Linda was talking to their friend, Eddie about something she just couldn’t wrap her head around. She saw him standing by the bar and froze.

  
For a second, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. He was standing there chatting to some girl seemingly oblivious of her staring at him.

  
He said something to the girl he was talking to, and she burst into laughter while he showed a proud smirk clearly impressed with his own joke.

  
As he took a sip of his drink, he turned to the direction of the entrance and locked eyes with her. He paused mid drink and she held her breath, both their expressions unreadable.

  
The moment felt like it lasted for hours until Linda nudged her arm asking her about something Iris clearly didn’t hear.

  
“Oh yeah I totally agree” Iris said while breaking the eye contact and turning to her friends.

  
“you agree? Uhm Iris, Linda asked you if you remember Shawna Baez from High school “ Eddie said; Both he and Linda burst into laughter.

  
‘’ Girl, what’s up with you? Who has your attention? “Linda asked in a curious and amused tone.

  
“...I- uhm... what do- what do you mean? I’m perfectly fine, I wasn’t staring at anybody … I’m-” Iris paused realizing she’s rambling for no reason.

  
Eddie and Linda both raised their eyebrows and she decided to ignore them.

  
“Anyway, we should probably go get a drink, we can’t be standing here like weirdos, we’re even causing traffic “ Iris says nervously while heading to the bar but far from where Barry was.

  
Eddie and Linda just stared at each other and decided it was best to let it go and follow their friend.

  
They got to the bar and ordered their drinks and turned to the dance floor to watch people dance. Eddie and Linda continued with their argument while Iris pretended to be engaged in the conversation.

She could feel his eyes on the side of her face, she could feel him looking at her which made her feel both uncomfortable and self-conscious.

  
She had been wearing a light long sleeved green shirt tucked in on her very short grey skirt and black thigh high boots with her long curls in a ponytail. She looked good, infact she looked amazing, some would say sexy, but somehow feeling him looking at her made her uneasy.

  
There were only two things she could do, ignore him and pay attention to her friends or turn and look at him. The first seemed easy while the second was unpredictable as she didn’t have any plan of what to do after she turns to look at him.

  
As her friends continued with their chatter, she went against her better judgement and decided to look at him.

  
To her surprise, He was no longer looking at her, His attention was now fully on the blonde he was with and Iris felt a tinge of embarrassment and jealousy.

  
She downed her almost full class of cocktail and gripped Linda and Eddie’s hands dragging them to the dance floor.

  
“c’mon Bitches, dance with me “she said in a loud voice, so they could hear her in the music filled club. Her friends didn’t hesitate and started dancing with her.

  
The knot in her throat started going down and she could feel herself relaxing as she grind up on Eddie with Linda’s hands all over her perfectly curved body.

To someone who doesn’t understand their dynamic, the sight was too intimate and the three looked like they were about to take their clothes of and start doing the nasty right there on the dance floor.

  
As fate would have it, the feeling that he was looking at her started rising again and she ignored it. She shut down every feeling and thought concerning him and focused on having fun with her friends which she did.

  
After a while, Chun-Li by Nicki Minaj came on and the three screamed in unison with excitement as they were all hardcore Barbs.

  
Their enthusiasm when they started rapping along attracted on-lookers and before they knew it, everyone in the club was rapping along.  
It felt like a mini Nicki Minaj concert and Iris couldn’t be more pleased as they drank and danced the night away.

  
Eddie and Linda decided to take a break from all the dancing and ordered 2 more drinks while Iris headed to the bathroom.

She wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going when she crashed right into a tall figure and came to a halt.

  
“Hey watch-…” She said in an annoyed tone, she suddenly stopped talking as she noticed who she had just bumped into.

  
“watch what? Watch where I’m going?” Barry asked in an amused tone, “Last I checked, I was standing here before you decided to come crashing into me “

  
“That’s not- “ she took a breath, “ That’s not what happened “ she replied, her voice was low, and it seemed like she was trying very hard to will herself into not getting upset.

  
He stared at her without moving or saying anything for a while before she broke the silence, “Anyway, I’m not going to apologize because this is the route to the women’s bathroom and you have no business being here, you can wait for your girlfriend back there “ she pointed to where a couple of guys were standing.

  
He raised his eyebrow “Girlfriend?”

  
“ Yes, Girlfriend, the girl you came here with? can you please get out of the way, I would REALLY like to pee” She emphasized the word really as she tried to get past him.

  
Without thinking, he grabbed her by her waist and she let out a loud gasp of shock as He stood right behind her with no space between them, his body lightly pressed against hers and her hair in his face, he whispered down her neck,

“ I don’t have a girlfriend, I already told you that and I was waiting for you if you must know”.

  
She couldn’t breathe for a second and felt her entire body heat up at the contact. something must’ve taken her out of her trance because she yanked his hand away from her waist and turned around to look at him, her face stern, “Don’t ever touch me like that ever again"

  
he shook his head slightly, raised his hands in defeat and stepped back to allow her to leave.

  
She stood there and watched him for a while, his expression unreadable. Right there and then, the blonde he was with broke the silence coming out of the bathroom,

“Hey babe, I’m sorry I took so long, thanks for waiting, are you ready to go?” The blonde says without even looking at Iris.

  
His face never leaves Iris’s but this time around his expression changes to that of a deer caught in a headlight.

  
Iris just scoffs and then turns and walks into the bathroom.

  
“Babe, you ok?”, The blonde asks him seemingly concerned.

“c’mon Patty, how many times have I told you not to call me that? let’s just go", He said irritated and the blonde, Patty, just giggled and followed him.

  
Iris didn’t take too long in the bathroom. She decided she wasn’t going to think about what just happened or what him grabbing her waist made her feel. She left the bathroom then requested an uber and left the club with her best friends and roommates.


	2. There are no coincidences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keeping up appearances is hard, especially when trying to maintain a Kanye attitude with Drake feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( Hey everyone, i just wanna say thank you for all your feedback on my last chapter, i really appreciate it and i look forward to sharing more stories with you.
> 
> So I was so busy with all my other work that I feel like It's not as interesting as I would've liked it to be. Please enjoy either way )

After all the drinking and dancing she did all night, Iris just wanted to shower and sleep. On the other hand, her 2 best friends were not ready for the night to end just yet, they made sure she was Ok and headed out to yet another club for the night.

After her shower, Iris did her nightly skin care routine, put on her bonnet and her old lady night dress. She was ready to go to sleep when a text came through:

Unknown: I’m sorry about tonight…  
Iris: Who is this?  
Unknown: c’mon Iris, you really didn’t save my number?  
Iris: hey, I don’t know who you are and it’s almost 3AM, either tell me who you are or stop texting me before I block your number

**Within a few seconds after sending the text, her phone starts ringing. It was an unknown caller and she was not one to answer calls from strangers, so she rejects the call.

Unknown: Seriously Iris? It’s Barry, Barry Allen? Remember me?

**Iris was so exhausted and out of it that she never actually suspected it could be him. The text however took away all her exhaustion and she sat up from her bed and saved his number before responding

Iris: Hey Lover boy  
Barry: Lover boy? *raised eyebrow emoji*, can you pick up? I’m about to call again  
Iris: Dude, It’s late, I don’t take calls this late, whatever you want to say, you can say it here and now or call during the day  
Barry: Dude??? how are you coming up with all these names?; Man, You’re so frustrating for no reason whatsoever. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about tonight, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable

Barry meant that, she knew he meant it, He didn’t make her feel uncomfortable at all, but she was not ready to come in terms with liking how his touch made her feel. She typed a long response telling him it was okay but ended up just sending a “It’s alright” because she's Iris West and that's just who she is

After waiting for a reply from him for about 2 minutes, she put her phone on her night stand connected to the charger and went to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Barry on the other hand was on a different wavelength. Many who knew him thought he was this cool bad boy with hardly any feelings. He had somehow managed to escape the “Science nerd” stereotype and could probably get any girl he wants now. 

He worked very hard on re-branding himself from the geek he was in high school. The Barry everyone knew now was handsome, confident and looked good in whatever piece of clothing he wore. 

Girls described him more as hot rather than a Cute dork like the condescending girls in high school would. The facade he had created for himself took a lot of work to maintain but he knew it was for the best. 

Despite still being a skinny, he was no longer the string bean everyone would pick on. It turns out all you need is an attitude change and some good dental work to fit into society. And Black clothes, don't forget lots and lots of black clothes.

After dropping Patty off at her place, He went home, sat on his couch and texted Iris before even doing anything else. Her responses to his texts had been cold and what made everything worse was knowing she never even bothered to save his number. All it took to break down every self-esteem he had built for himself was being ignored by the Beautiful girl who took his breath way without even trying.

He sat on his couch thinking about how everything went wrong so fast. Just a few days ago, he was certain he and the gorgeous Iris West were onto something so pure it escaped definition. He couldn’t put the pieces together to try and understand how things went sideways so quickly. 

Barry was cool now. Cool Barry was not supposed to have any obstacles in his way, The universe was supposed to be on Cool Barry’s side. Cool Barry did everything right, why were things going wrong for him despite him now being part of the upper echelon? 

He fell asleep right there on his couch wondering why the universe was messing with him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Iris woke up at around 10AM and felt like she still needed more hours to sleep. She has never been one to be incapable of handling her liquor, so this was an entirely new sensation for her. She stared at the phone in her night stand and all the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her.  


She could hear Nicki’s Your love playing in her living room and knew Eddie and Linda were home. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, put on some short shorts and a PINK FRIDAY t-shirt then headed to the kitchen as she was starving.

“Ahh there she is, the princess of Genovia is awake “, Eddie says with a mouthful of waffles as soon as he saw Iris appear around the corner

“Stop talking with food in your mouth, you animal”, Linda says while hitting him with a piece of Banana peel from across the table. “Hi babe, we got you those brownies you love so much” she says to Iris

Iris had to stand right there for a second and observe the sight before her. The dining table was full of bags from jitters and multiple coffee cups. She knew this was her friends combating the munchies. They definitely had quite a wild night which is why it's surprising they have so much energy.

“How the heck are you both this energetic? What time did you come back?”, Iris says stepping closer to them

“Around 6, why? Eeeeeeeeh “Eddie says while finishing the line to Massive Attack that was now blasting through the speakers.

“Ms. West, you are getting old, you’re acting like we never partied non-stop for more than 12 hours, remember Ibiza 2014?”, Linda says smiling at her friend

" Fair point" Iris says as she sits down getting ready to indulge in all the baked goodies. Suddenly there's a knock on their door.

“I’ll get it”, Eddie says standing up

" are you expecting anyone? " Iris asks Linda who just shrugs and starts telling her all about everything she got up to with Eddie when he interrupts them;

“Hey Iris, there’s a discount Johnny Depp here for you, he says his name is Barry Allen”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so That's it for now, I Hope that this wasn't disapointing , Please let me know what you think about it, i really appreciate it.)


	3. The Other Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the bittersweet memory of what we had and lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ I'm so sorry for taking forever updating this, I feel like I'll always apologize because the truth is I only have free time on weekends, but I'll try to atleast be consistent with my updates. Thank you for your patience ]

______________ A week Earlier _____________

Barry didn't want to be at that Gala dinner. however, he had no choice, he made a deal with Patty and he was to honor it no matter what. His reputation depended on it.

" Mr. Mayor, I would like you to meet my Boyfriend Barry Allen, he works at CCPD too, he’s a CSI", Patty says with a wide smile obviously proud

Barry couldn't help but twitch his neck a little before extending his arm to shake hands with the man. "Nice to meet you Sir" He says trying to mean it

"Ahh so you're the lucky man, good for you Allen, Ms. Spivot is a wonderful woman destined for great things" The mayor says shaking his hand a lot more aggressively than necessary.

Barry couldn’t help but get a bad vibe from the man, why was Patty so determined to impress him? He wondered to himself as Patty dragged him to the next group of influential people to talk to.

It went on like that for almost 2 hours and Barry was getting tired of all the pretending. It was pretty ironic for him to be tired of pretending given his life. He had to get out of there. He saw a window of opportunity when Patty was still chatting up one of the high-profile people, he decided to grab a bottle of wine and headed to the sign written _EXIT_.

He walked up a few stairs and then felt a breeze of air as soon as he was outside. It was very refreshing, and he started to relax more, loosening the tight tie Patty had forced him to wear.

The rooftop of the Mayor’s building was very sophisticated, it was decorated in earthly ornaments and lots of plants with beautiful small lights scattered all over. One could even bring someone up here for a date if they wanted to. There were several benches and Barry assumed this is probably were people who work there have their lunch or smoke breaks.

When he was still scanning the place, he heard someone let out a curse, “Shit! damnit” the voice said.

He went around the large pot plant on his way and there stood a woman wearing a long brown coat. He couldn’t see her face as she was facing down looking for something. He looked down to what she was searching for and saw what seemed to be batteries. He walked ahead and picked them before she could see or hear him approaching

“Looking for this?” He asked in a low tone

“Jesus Christ!! Don’t do that” She says jumping a little bit and dropping her voice recorder.

He went down by instinct to pick it up, but she also went down at the same time and they both reached for it.

He looked at her and she looked back at him. At that moment he realized how stunning she really is. Her brown skin was glowing in the moonlight and some of the rays from the tiny lights. The moment felt like forever, she was watching him and then when he moved his hand, he could see her face turn from wonder to irritation. The expression on her face now intimidated him so he decided to let go of the recorder and rose up.

“I’m sorry about that, here you go” He says handing her the batteries he picked up just a few moments ago

She picked up her recorder, stood up and took the batteries while still looking at him. She only broke eye contact to put the batteries in the recorder and then she switched it on.

"Ah, thank God!!” she says in relief after looking at the little screen on the thing

“Something important?” he asks curiously

“Yup! I interviewed so many people tonight, so I had to make sure this stupid ancient thing didn’t delete everything when the old batteries died, I- “, she stopped herself realizing she's rambling.

Why was she telling him all this? She didn’t know who he was, for all she knew he could be a serial killer who finds women by themselves then murder them. She didn’t really believe what she was thinking considering they were in the mayor’s building and it was unlikely that a serial killer could target her at such a place.

He chuckles a little, “Yeah that definitely sounds important, you should really upgrade, I haven’t seen any device with removable batteries in years”, he says still standing there. “I’m Barry by the way, Barry Allen”, He says extending his hand to her

“Hello Barry Allen, do you always sneak up on unsuspecting women at rooftops holding bottles of wine?” She asks in her reporter voice, she didn’t mean to sound so serious, but it just sort of happened.

He looked down at his hand and realized he was still holding the bottle. Man, she was intimidating, he thought to himself. But this wasn’t the time to start stuttering, he was too intrigued by her, he had to know who she is.

“It was getting a bit boring in there, I had to get some air”

She raised her eyebrow, so he knew he had to elaborate

“Hey, let me be, it gets tiring trying not to be judged by old rich people ok, I had to get a drink, just not in there”, He says walking to a bench nearby, he walks slowly until he could feel her following him

“You don’t exactly look like a cop, why are you here?” she asks

He is taken aback, “Hey what’s with the twenty questions, are you a reporter or something? ”, he says now sitting down looking at her while she’s still standing in front of him

“Uhm? Duh!” she replies waving her voice recorder

“West, Iris West”

For some reason he was impressed by her name. he thought it was very fitting for her, she didn’t look like a Suzan or a Cynthia, Iris worked for her

He pushed that weird observation to the back of him mind, “Oh yeah? Well if you must know Miss West, I’m a CSI at CCPD”

She raised her eyebrow again

“What? Why do you keep doing that at everything I say? And, are you just going to stand there all night? you can take a seat you know”

He was right, her heeled boots were killing her, so she decided to sit down next to him but left some space between them. She gestured for him to hand her the bottle and he did so she took a gulp

“ They never invite CSIs to these things and You don’t exactly look like a CSI, most of them don’t look like……like you" she says looking him up and down

“what do you mean by that?” he asks suddenly all self-conscious

“One, I haven’t actually seen you at CCPD and two, I have a friend who is a CSI, Julian Albert, and he’s…. I guess nerdy” She says taking another sip and handing him back the bottle

“you know Julian? Man, I hate that guy, what a dick” he says irritated, taking a gulp of the wine he purposefully chooses to ignore the nerdy CSI comment

Iris bursts into laughter, “Yeah you’re right, He is a dick. He won’t tell me anything unless I buy him coffee” She replies

He starts laughing too, “He probably likes you, Julian doesn’t give anyone who isn’t captain Singh ANYTHING, let me give you my number, you can always call me when he is giving you a hard time”, He says without even thinking

She doesn't usually take people’s numbers, but this could be useful for her career, so she took out her phone and handed it to him, “There you go, Give yourself a call”

He does just that, his phone rings for a second and he took it out and saved her number, she did the same.

They chatted for a few more minutes, almost an hour making jokes about how uptight the police elite are and how they never help the community unless it’s for show. Despite Iris being a reporter, Barry was never worried about her taking anything out of context for her stories as he was bashing his bosses. The feeling was mutual for Iris, she was enjoying her time with him and didn’t record anything he said. This kind of trust for a stranger was new for the both of them.

They were strangers but the conversation was just so easy and natural. 

Now the bottle of wine was empty on the floor while they chuckled away. Suddenly they both fell silent and enjoyed the silence. They could hear the noise of the traffic in the streets and some distant noise from the gala.

“It’s really beautiful up here”, Iris says hugging herself, even with her big coat, it was still a little chilly.

“Yeah it is, it really is…beautiful” Barry says in a voice she hadn’t heard since they started talking, it was low and did something to her

She looked at him and he was staring right at her, his eyes were almost like he was being hypnotized by her

“What?” she asks teasingly 

“uhm... Nothing, it’s just weird I have never seen you before. Where have you been Iris West”

she could feel a shift in the conversation, the way his voice was sounding, this was borderline flirting.

She looked right into his green eyes and said, “I’ve always been here, Barry Allen”

The sound of his name from her lips made him get actual chills. The place was silent again, just Iris and Barry holding each other’s gaze, their hearts pumping at rapid speed. Their eyes saying something their lips couldn’t. and just like that Barry slid closer to her and held her face with both his hands. She leaned her face to one side and closed her eyes.

“Iris” He says in what sounded like a whisper, she flung her eyes open and nodded

Just like that his lips met hers. She tasted amazing and her lips were the softest lips he had ever come into contact with. He wanted to be gentle with her but the taste of her drove him wild, he had to have her. Nothing could ever taste as good as her.

He lifted her from her seat without their lips ever parting. She was now sitting on his lap as he kissed her passionately. She moaned and it was the sexiest thing he had ever heard, and he couldn’t help but groan kissing her even deeper. Her hands were now in his hair while his were on her waist and neck. She was on his lap, closer to him than ever, but he kept trying to pull her even more closer.

They both parted to breathe because the way they were going, they could pass out. As they tried to catch their breath, they couldn’t help but hold each other’s gaze and giggle like pre-teens

Barry knew it was way too early to be feeling the way he felt. Iris was just as confused. She barely knew this man, they had just met less than 2 hours ago but now she wanted to tell him every little asecret she had ever kept to herself.

He caught her mid thought and planted another kiss on her lips. The kiss was soft now, she opened to him and their tongues danced in the most sensual way. He kissed her cheek bones and kissed her neck savouring her like she was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted

He wanted to feel her skin so badly, but he couldn’t because of what she was wearing. The feeling was mutual for iris as well.

As they continued with their intense make out session, she rubbed herself against the hardening length she could feel through his pants. His small groans turned her on so much she couldn’t help but moan

Suddenly they heard people talking near the entrance and they looked at each other and froze. Iris couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Barry’s now messy hair. She tried to fix it then got off from his lap.

He let out a small whine already missing the contact.

The moment was over but they both clearly weren't ready for the night to end

“We should get out of here , how far away is your place?” Iris asks as she tries to fix herself

“uhm…what? Do you want to come to my place?” he asks, he didn’t mean to sound like he had a problem with it. He wanted her to come to his place, God knows he wanted her to come to his place. they would make love all night and he would make her a full spread breakfast in the morning, he thought to himself

She paused and studied him, “what? You don’t want me to come? You don’t have a girlfriend now do you? Please tell me you don’t have a girlfriend. That would be the worst possible scenario” Iris is now panicking. She vowed to never allow herself to be the other woman

“No! no no no” he says now grabbing her face, “I don’t have a girlfriend ok, you just caught me off guard, that's all ”

Iris smiles and tip toes to kiss him. This time the kiss is short, she fixes his tie and says “ well then, lets get out of here”

They didn’t realize how tipsy they were until they were just stumbling and giggling leaving the rooftop. The 2 men who had interrupted them were still there smoking as Barry and Iris passed them.

Iris couldn’t help but notice the looks of judgement they were giving her. She decided to pay them no mind, it’s 2019, if you have a problem with a white man being with a Black woman then screw you. She thought to herself.

When they got back to the Gala, they tried their best to act normal but still let out a few giggles. Iris noticed that some of the people she interviewed earlier were now looking at her weird. She felt almost uncomfortable having so many people look at her with such judgment. Was interracial dating that big of a deal to them? They seemed progressive earlier, what had changed? She wondered just as one of the Mayor’s bodyguards came and stood in front of them bringing the to a halt.

Iris was confused but the man just greeted her then turned to Barry, “Mr. Allen, Miss Spivot says she has a meeting with the mayor after the Gala so you can leave, she will find you at home and she says to tell you she loves you very much”.

The man left without saying another word and Iris immediately let go of Barry’s hand as they had been holding hands the entire time.

Barry was now stone cold frozen. He couldn’t move but could feel Iris intensely staring at him. There was no way of explaining this

He turned to look at her and could see her eyes filled with tears threatening to pour out. As soon as he saw a single tear drop his heart shattered into a million pieces.

“Iris”

“DON’T!” she replies yanking her hand away from him then starts running. She ran like her life depended on hit. There was a couple about to get into one of the cars organized for the event and she cut them off then apologized as she closed the door 

He ran after her but as soon as he caught up, she was already inside the car driving away.

All he had now was the look of heartbreak in her eyes. He never imagined how painful it would be to see her like that. He just sat there by the side of the road replaying how the best night of his life had turned into the worst just because he wasn't man enough to tell the truth

“Miss? Where should i take you?”, The driver asks

“just drive!”

Iris sat in the back of that car wondering how she had missed all the signs. CSIs were never invited to such fancy occasions, he didn’t seem like a suit and tie person, of course he’s not single. Now all those looks people were giving her started to make sense and now tears were flowing rapidly.

Those people were not judging her because she was with a white man, they were judging her because she was with a man in a relationship. A man in a relationship with a woman important enough to have meetings with the mayor. Now she was sobbing uncontrollably as she realized she had become her worst nightmare; the other woman.

She took out her phone and deleted his number. Barry Allen was dead to her. This night was a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. Hopefully from now on there won't be any time jumps. Thank you so much for reading and likewise please leave some feedback, I'd really appreciate it.

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah that's it for now. I currently don't know where the story is going but i'm really excited and have so many ideas. please give me feedback, i'd really appreciate it as well as some constructive criticism. let me know if you want me to continue with this.


End file.
